ISLAMABAD / PESHAWAR – The death toll from devastating floods and torrential rains in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has risen to 323, with 156 people injured, officials said on Sunday, as the federal and provincial governments scrambled to ramp up rescue and relief efforts.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the dead include 273 men, 29 women and 21 children. At least 336 houses have been damaged, 106 of them completely washed away. Buner remains the worst-hit district, reporting 209 fatalities, followed by Swat, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram.
The PDMA warned that more heavy rainfall is expected from August 17 to 19, while the current monsoon spell is likely to persist intermittently until August 21.
Federal Ministers Deployed for Relief Oversight
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assigned federal ministers to directly supervise relief operations in affected districts. Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Engineer Amir Muqam, has been tasked with monitoring Shangla and Buner. Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf will oversee Mansehra, while Special Assistant to the PM Mubarak Zeb will coordinate activities in Bajaur.
Shehbaz has also ordered the immediate dispatch of additional food, tents and medicines under a federal relief package. He has directed the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to stay in close contact with provincial authorities and Gilgit-Baltistan to ensure a coordinated response.
Trucks carrying tents, bedding, tarpaulins, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, generators and other essential items have already been handed over to district administrations for onward distribution.
Provincial Government Pledges Full Compensation
K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur continued visits to the flood-hit districts, including Swat and Buner, where he reviewed rescue operations and relief activities. At a meeting in Malakand Division, officials briefed him that Mingora city had suffered some of the worst damages.
The chief minister instructed officials to speed up debris clearance, deploy extra machinery from nearby districts, and ensure compensation payments reach victims without delay.
“The provincial government has released Rs3 billion for relief and rehabilitation,” Gandapur said. “We will fully compensate the losses suffered by the people. In the past, victims were given empty promises. This time, our commitments will be honoured.”
Gandapur also announced a committee to demarcate the Swat River’s water channels to prevent future disasters. On the proposal to split Swat into two districts, he said local representatives should first hold consultations and then present recommendations.
NDMA and Army Relief Efforts
NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said connectivity restoration in flood-hit areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and K-P was a top priority, with damaged roads and bridges being repaired once the rains subside. He added that relief consignments, including food and medical supplies, were being dispatched to districts reporting the highest casualties and displacement.
Malik warned that monsoon activity will continue until at least August 22, with another system entering Pakistan on August 23 and lasting into early September. “Three major weather systems are converging over Pakistan, intensifying monsoon activity,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army has launched large-scale rescue and relief operations under the directives of Army Chief General Asim Munir. Helicopters are delivering food rations including flour, rice, lentils, milk powder, and cooking oil to remote flood-hit villages in Buner, Shangla and Swat. Troops are also evacuating women, children and the injured to safer areas.
Army doctors have set up field medical camps to provide free treatment and medicines, while engineers are working around the clock to restore the Jar Bridge, a vital link between Dir and Bajaur that was swept away by the floods. The replacement structure is expected to be completed within days.
“The Pakistan Army will continue its public service mission until the complete rehabilitation of all flood victims is achieved,” the military said in a statement.
